Hip Hip Hooray…It’s Chemo Day! 🎈🎈🎈

Posted by mjp0512 @mjp0512, Sep 16 5:36am

Heading off to the Chair in a couple hours for first dose of Taxotere (docetaxel). Low dose of 65mg/m2. Will increase to 75mg/m2 for the remainder if tolerated. I told them to put a port in because I am not an easy stick for an IV but, they said they never port on the first infusion in case it's not tolerated. We'll see how that goes.

Had a CT c/a/p late yesterday. No results yet. Have a bone scan tomorrow. Hope I don't puke on the table. 🤮

Very little sleep last night, no not anxious, back is starting to scream again. I'm guessing the bone scan is going to light up from about L3 down. On the positive side, maybe it'll work out and I can sleep in the Chair. I'll report back later. Have a great day, all!

Oh... and in keeping with treatment tradition from last year's RT...
Today's shirt...

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

northoftheborder | @northoftheborder | Sep 16 7:08am

Good luck! Don't worry about "staying strong" or anything like that; just be however you need to be.

charlesprestridge | @charlesprestridge | Sep 16 7:59am

Best Wishes on the chemo. Hopeful you are able to tolerate.

mjp0512 | @mjp0512 | Sep 16 8:25am

In reply to @northoftheborder "Good luck! Don't worry about "staying strong" or anything like that; just be however you need..." + (show)

@northoftheborder - Thanks, North. Much appreciated. I post here from a relatively unique perspective. I’m not being strong; I’m just being me.

My family history is heart disease. No male my family tree in the last 5 known generations has seen their 69th birthday. All have died from cardiac issues. My Dad almost made it but passed 2 days before his 69th. When urology first asked me about PCa history, I said, “I don’t know. Nobody ever lived long enough.”

A few years back, I was pretty sure of the same fate for me. Blood pressure was bouncy and ejection fraction was hovering between 25 & 30 %. Then came Entresto. My last echo showed EF at 50%, darn near normal and BP is stable.

I'm 71 so, I post here from the perspective that this is bonus time. Does it suck that I have to go through it with cancer. Of course, but you have to appreciate the irony. Every day is a day I never thought I would have. I choose to look for the comedy, not the tragedy. If it puts a smile on one person’s face going through this crap, all the better. Have a great day!

And now, off to the Chair.

mjp0512 | @mjp0512 | Sep 16 8:28am

In reply to @charlesprestridge "Best Wishes on the chemo. Hopeful you are able to tolerate." + (show)

@charlesprestridge - Thanks much, Charles!

johndavis60 | @johndavis60 | Sep 16 9:24am

Good Luck!!! You got this 🙂

dailyeffort | @dailyeffort | Sep 16 10:31am

Hey Mjp512 '- Loving your attitude, fresh perspectives and, of course, the shirt, as always. Praying for the chemo to kick your cancer to the curb, for the needles to be sharp and the phlebotomist's aim to be perfect.
Bill

Jeff Marchi | @jeffmarc | Sep 16 12:07pm

Are you getting an ice hat and gloves so that it doesn’t make you bald and ruin your fingernails? You can get those at Amazon. They also offer the cap at some places that do chemo, but they charge a lot.

peterj116 | @peterj116 | Sep 16 12:53pm

Good luck. I'm sure it will go well.
"I told them to put a port in...."
For a second, I thought you meant port wine. I think we should all get some port during every procedure.
It'll certainly make things more tolerable.

northoftheborder | @northoftheborder | Sep 16 1:10pm

In reply to @mjp0512 "@northoftheborder - Thanks, North. Much appreciated. I post here from a relatively unique perspective. I’m not..." + (show)

@mjp0512 I'm glad you're still here, and it's important to remember that history isn't destiny. Whatever happened in your family's past, YOUR future isn't written yet.

Some of us here had The Talk from our medical team when we were first diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer: mine was along the lines of expect progression in 18–24 months, 3–5 years left to live, or *maybe* a bit more since I was otherwise young and healthy (since I was in my mid 50s at the time).

That was October 2021. It seemed like a certainty at the time — I put my finances in order and even told my spouse my burial preferences — but obviously, things didn't turn out that way for me. Survival stats haven't been keeping pace with medical advances.

surftohealth88 | @surftohealth88 | Sep 16 3:12pm

Best of luck MGP 🍀✨ !!! It sucks , it really does : ((( and especially that your back hurts on top of it all : (.

BUT, you tamed your PC before and I am sure that it will happen again 👍 - and this time PC has nowhere to hide - it will be hammered and beat into submission once and for all !

I laughed at your shirt : ) and I am sure that all hospital crew and patients there will be giggling too : )).

I will be thinking of you and will be sending "healing vibes" - take it easy. Ask for some stronger pain meds : (((, you will need your sleep.

I admire your perseverance and your fighting spirit ! I wish that I can bring to hospital parking lot some "broccoli and cabbage smoothy" for you, so that you would run away "from crazy lady" ahahahaaaa and jump into that chair like it is a spa chair 😂 ! I hope that image of me running after you with a blander will make you laugh today. <3

Keep us posted - when you can 🌺 and may this chemo completely and forever obliterate your PC